Mince Pie with Stilton

10 December 2013

Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without mince pies! Mince pies have been eaten as part of a traditional British Christmas since as long ago as the 16th century. Back then, they were made using savoury meat but are now made with sweet mincemeat; a mixture of sugar, dried fruits, spices and maybe a splash of brandy.

Some people make small bite size ones, other make giant mince pies, just like an apple pie but here at Bluestone, we want to be traditional! Take a look at this easy peasey recipe for the rich, sweet and sticky fruit wrapped in delicious pastry. Our Head Chef has put together this simple, family friendly recipe.

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

350g / 12oz plain / all purpose flour

Pinch of salt

225g butter / 8 oz cubed or an equal mix of butter and lard

1 beaten egg + 1 cold water as needed

1 jar of shop bought mincemeat

2 tbsp icing sugar

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 205°C/400°F/Gas 6

Make the Pastry

In a large clean bowl, mix the flour, salt and butter.

Rub the butter (room temperature) into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs – get your little ones messy, they will love this bit!

Slowly add in the egg to the mixture and gentle stir, add a splash of cold water a teaspoon at a time until the mixture binds but don't make it too wet!

Set aside, covered and ideally leave for 15 to 30 minutes.

You can also make the pastry dough in a food processor – but its not half as much fun!

Assemble the Pies

The number of pies will depend on the size of your baking cup tray.

Dust a clean work surface lightly with a little flour and roll out two-thirds of the pastry to roughly 3mm or 1/8" thick. Cut circles to line the cups of your tin, don't worry if the pastry doesn't come to the top.

Fill the pastry lined tins 2/3 full with mincemeat.

Roll out the remaining pastry to the same thickness and cut smaller circles to fit as lids.

Moisten the edges of the tart bases with a little cold water and press the lids on. Make a small hole in the surface of each pie with a small sharp knife to allow the steam to escape. (For an added golden finish, brush with a little egg wash)

Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the icing sugar.

You now have delicious, standard mince pies!

However, as you well know, we like to think we’re a little different and Free Range here at Bluestone – for an added festive twist, gently loosen the pastry lid, add a smidging of stilton and replace the lid, bite, eat, enjoy and have another one!

Related

By now you’ve probably gathered that here at Bluestone, we think Christmas is pretty awesome. Family time, great food, parties and gift-giving. What could be nicer?!At Christmas time we can get away with a lot of things that would seem downright odd on the other 11 months of the year.

Christmas at Bluestone starts today!!! What a week we've had getting our magical wonderland that is Kingdom of the Elves ready for our guests. There's been building, decorating, arranging, fancy dressing, Christmas music and festive jumpers'a'plenty!

Get scrolling for a sneaky peak of what's in store this festive season...

If you are visiting Bluestone during the Christmas period, expect something more than the usual festivities. This is because the staff have decided to revive some of the old traditions that were practised in Pembrokeshire in past centuries…and our ancestors had some quaint and unusual ways of celebrating Christmas.